He clung to life with 40 operations

He clung to life with 40 operations

Adem Kılıç (31), who was involved in the accident that occurred in Istanbul back in April and resulted in the death of one person and his being seriously injured with burns over 75 percent of his body, clung to life after undergoing nearly 40 operations lasting around 200 hours total and took his first steps 192 days later.

After the automobile accident in Istanbul that left one person dead at the scene and himself seriously injured with burns over 75 percent of his body, Adem Kılıç (31) was finally able to stand after fighting for his life for 192 days.

Adem Kılıç was rushed to a hospital following the accident, operated on and then transferred to the Acibadem University Atakent Hospital. Teaching staff members Associate Prof. Dr. Veli Karaaltın and Prof. Dr. Bilgi Baca, who took over the care of Adem Kılıç with nearly 40 operations lasting a total of 200 hours, talked about the difficult process with press members.

Acibadem University Teaching Staff Member and Plastic, Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Veli Karaaltın said the success rate of burn treatment to this extent was quite low and added “A large team worked together to keep Adem alive by tending not only to his burns but also the other serious injuries he sustained. Usually in dealing with burns we utilize the areas that aren’t burned to treat the burned areas but since the majority of Adem’s body was covered with burns we had no margin for error. We combined all the resources of technology and medicine we had access to and covered every open wound on Adem’s body”.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Karaaltın said; “In order to cover all of Adem’s wounds and burns we utilized cellular therapy and Stem Cell treatment in addition to skin grafts. During the treatment process, in which we used innovative technologies with the support of our university, Adem was treated at the highest possible level in intensive care for 4 months. We were also able to repair the hole in his duodenum with a localized muscle transplant and now we have arrived at the physical therapy stage”.

Acibadem University General Surgery Department Head Prof. Dr. Bilgi Baca said “When Adem Kılıç arrived at our hospital we immediately took him into surgery because of the bleeding in his abdomen and intestines. During the operation the bleeding in his intestines was stopped. Then we used a multidisciplinary approach to repair the hole in his duodenum. We received the support of the radiology, gastroenterology and intensive care units during all the operations and processes involved in his care. Handling burns and injuries to this degree is usually very difficult. We believe this is a rare successful case not just in Turkey but in the world. We were able to overcome a very difficult period with a multidisciplinary approach and intense treatment”.

While sharing his joy at overcoming this major struggle for life, Adem Kılıç said “Everyone in this hospital from the nurses to the caretakers and the doctors, showed amazing effort. Their faith built up my confidence. Being able to stand up again after such a long time is inexplicable”.

Kılıç said; “I want to thank everyone who helped me cling to life. Being one of the best examples of the healthcare at world standards provided in Turkey is a great source of pride for me”.